Battery post connector



B. A. STOCKING 2,906,988

BATTERY POST CONNECTOR Sept. 29, 1959 Filed Dec. 17. 1956 IN V EN TOR;

BERT A. STOCKING ATTORNEY United States Patent i 6 pat aea-etpii gii ig This invention relates to devices, commonly termed connectors, employable to detachably and operatively attach conductor leads to the conventional terminals of storage batteries, and has as an object to provide an improved construction and organization of elements constituting such a connector.

A further object of the invention is to provide a battery post connector adapted for facile and convenient operative mounting upon and removal from a storage battery terminal.

' A further object of the invention is to provide an improved battery post connector characterized by attaching means productive of a positive and eflicient electrical connection between a battery post and a lead carried by the connector. V

A further object of the invention is'to provide an improved battery post connector characterized by a single manipulable element disposed for convenient access and ready adjustment.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved battery post connector effective in useto fully house an electrical connection thereby established.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved battery post connector eifective in use to minimize the development of corrosive efiects common to convene tional analogous connections.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved battery post connector adapted for low-cost production from moldable dielectric materials, that is sturdy, compact, and operatively simple, that is adaptable to effect connections between conventional battery posts and leads of diverse size and form, and which is employable to obviate many of the shortcomings and disadvantages of the analogous connectors hitherto utilized.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and operative combination of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of atypical embodiment of the improved connector as mounted in position of use to establish an electrical connection between a battery post and an electrical conductor.

Figure 2 is a section taken substantially on the indicated line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially on the indicated line 3-3 of Figure.2.

Figure 4 is a detail section taken substantially on the indicated line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar and on a reduced scale relative to Figure 2 illustrating a modification within the contemplation of the invention.

The wide-spread use of storage batteries in association with automotive vehicles and the consequent frequent occasion for removal and replacement of a storage battery associated with a given vehicle have emphasized the importance of a connector for positively and yet detachably associating the major electrical leads of the vehicle wiring system with the battery terminals, and the instant in In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a corner por-.

tion of a conventional storage battery from which the usual frusto-conical terminal, or battery post 11 fixedly upstands; such posts or terminals of soft metal, such as lead, conventionally characterizing automotive storage batteries in a spaced, duplicate arrangement well standardized as to form and size. The connector of the instant invention comprises a cap member 12 of strong, rigid, dielectric material, such as synthetic resin or plastic, closed at one end and formed with a frusto-conical recess opening centrally through its other end in a form and size to receive and telescope over the battery post 11, and means associated with the cap 12 for connection with a conductor or lead 13 of an electrical system whereby to establish an effective connection between such lead and the post 11 and to simultaneously secure the cap to the post.

The mounting, connecting, and securing means associated with the cap 12 comprises an integral, cylindrical boss 14 outstanding radially from one side of said cap to house a cylindrical, internally-threaded socket 15' opening through an outer end of the boss and extending inwardly of said boss to approximately the zone of junction'between verse section, it is illustrated as formed with spacedlyparallel flat upper and lower Walls conjoined by arc uate side walls, the said throat being centered in coaxial rela tion with the recess 15 of the boss 14 in consequent perpendicular relation with the axis of the frustoconical re-,

cess formed in the cap 12.

Non-rotatably slidable in and through theethroat'lfi aj contact head 17 of soft conducting metal, such as lead, is shaped at one end for conformable engagement against the arcuate, tapered Wall of the post 11 whereagainst the said throat 16 opens when the cap 12 is mounted on the post as shown, and the other end of said head 17 is permanently secured to the free end of the conductor 13, an annular collar 18 of the head 17 material marking the junction between said head and conductor. The head 17 and collar 18 have a length such as to dispose the collar 18 well within the recess 15 when the free end of the head is engaged against the post 11, the insulation sheathing the conductor 13 closing against the side of the collar 18 re mote from the head 17, and a threaded sleeve 19 co-.

and into secure clamped engagement of its free end with the surface of the post 11. The material forming the post 11 and head 17 being somewhat ductile, the clamping pressure exerted thereon by the sleeve 19 is effective to establish a very secure lock between the head and post which is more than adequate to maintain the cap against accidental. displacement from its mounting on the post and is further effective to constitute a joint for the transmission of electrical energy with a minimum of energy loss and with practically no corrosive development. The sleeve 19 is of a length to project beyond the boss 14 when the head 17 is fully engaged with the post 11, and the outer end of said sleeve is preferably radially enlarged and marginally worked to facilitate sleeve manipulation and to accommodate the use of a wrench for turning of the sleeve, as-andwhen desired. The coacting threads of the recess 15 and sleeve 19 may be of'very low pitch, thus to provide for ahigh degree of thrust acting through the collar,

18 andhead 17 to securely seat the latter against the post 11 when said sleeve is advanced inwardly of the recess 15. Functionally identical with and structurally analogous to the organization hereinabove described, the modified construction according to Figure is distinguished only by an alternative arrangement of the elements effective to clamp the head 17 against the post 11 in extension through the boss 14. As represented by Figure 5, a smooth bore slidably accommodative of the collar 18 is provided to open through the end of the boss 14 in substitution for the' internally-threaded socket 15, the collar 18 is widened axially of the associated conductor 13 to the form of a band 18 adapted to project at one end beyond the free end of the boss 14 when the head 17 is seated against the post 11, the free end portion of the boss 14 is exteriorly threaded, as at 20, and an internally-threaded thimble 19' coactable with the threaded portion 20 of the boss in slidable association with the insulated conductor 13 is substituted for the sleeve 19. As is fully apparent, the web of the thimble 19' surrounding the insulated conductor is adapted to engage the shoulder presented by the adjacent end of the band 18' and thereby securely clamp the head 17 against the post 11 in the manner above set forth as said thimble is rotated in threaded engagement with the boss 14 in a direction to advance the thimble toward the post.

With either of the constructions shown and described, it is wholly feasible to form the cap 12 and sleeve 19, or thimble 19', of dielectric material by molding as distinguished from machining, thereby minimizing the cost of unit production. Further, the use of dielectric material for the cap 12 concentrates the energy flow through the coupling to the area of the head 17 in contact with the post 11, thus very much reducing the corrosive potential of the joint and obviating tendency of the cap 12 to freeze to the post. Detachment of the connector is a simple and convenient operation, since the manipulable end of the sleeve 19, as Well as the thimble 19, is mounted for convenient access at one side of the cap which functions as an insulating cover for the coupling; rotation of said sleeve or thimble a few turns in the proper direction followed by a slight outward tug on the conductor 13 being all that is required to free the cap for lifting away from the post 11.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claim, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

A terminal for detachably connecting a conductor to a frusto-conical battery post, said terminal comprising a cap of insulating material having a frusto-conical recess for re ceiving and tightly engaging the battery post, an elongated integral boss extending outwardly on one side of said cap at substantially right angles to the axis of said recess, a

non-circular bore in the inner end of said boss communieating with said recess and disposed at substantially right angles to the axis of said recess, an enlarged threaded re-- cess in said boss communicating with said bore and open ing outwardly of said boss, a solid plug of deformable conductive material slidably and non-rotatably received in said bore and providing a'battery post engaging clamping and contact member, an annular flange on the outer end of said plug, a conductor secured to said plug and a hollow insulating nut freely rotatable on said conductor and threadedly received in said threaded recess in engagement with said flange, whereby upon actuation of said nut to move the same against said flange said plug will be forced inwardly into engagement with said post to deform the inner end of said plug into substantial conformity with the surface of said post to provide a firm clamping engagement and a good electrical contact over substantially the entire end surface area of said plug.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,341,748 Webb Feb. 15, 1944 2,357,567 Williams Sept. 5, 1944 2,657,370 Hobson Oct. 27, 1953 

